A commonly used antibiotic called vancomycin, which is usually prescribed to treat infectious diarrhea, may also be helpful for people suffering from a specific form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Researchers from the University of Birmingham have discovered that this drug could help patients who have IBD along with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a serious and incurable liver disease.
The study, published in the Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis, found that four out of five patients who took vancomycin saw their symptoms improve significantly. This is especially important because many of these patients had not responded to other treatments.
The findings suggest that vancomycin could become a new treatment option for people struggling with both IBD and PSC.
IBD is a long-term condition that causes inflammation in the digestive system, leading to symptoms such as diarrhea, stomach pain, and weight loss. PSC is a chronic liver disease that causes scarring in the bile ducts, which can lead to serious complications, including liver failure and cancer.
These two conditions are closely linked—most people with PSC also have IBD, and about 14% of people with IBD develop PSC. Because of this connection, people with PSC-IBD are at higher risk of needing colon surgery, developing colon or liver cancer, and in some cases, requiring a liver transplant.
The study’s lead researcher, Dr. Mohammed Nabil Quraishi from the University of Birmingham, explained that their results suggest vancomycin could be a valuable treatment option for people with both IBD and PSC. While more research is needed, this study provides strong evidence to continue investigating the drug’s potential benefits.
To test vancomycin’s effectiveness, researchers conducted a clinical trial where patients took the antibiotic for four weeks. After this period, doctors followed up for another four weeks after stopping the medication. By the end of the treatment period, 80% of patients had achieved remission, meaning their symptoms had significantly improved.
Additionally, all patients showed healing in the lining of their intestines, an important sign that their condition was improving. However, once they stopped taking the medication, their symptoms returned, suggesting that continued treatment may be necessary.
The study also found that vancomycin changed certain bile acids in the body, which could be a key factor in how it helps treat the disease. Researchers are now studying these changes further to understand how they affect inflammation and how they might lead to new treatments for PSC-IBD.
Dr. Palak Trivedi, a senior researcher at the University of Birmingham, emphasized that the next step is conducting a randomized controlled trial—a larger, more structured study to confirm vancomycin’s effects. If successful, this research could help doctors develop new treatment strategies for patients with PSC-IBD.
Review and Analysis
This study is exciting because it offers hope for patients with a disease that currently has very limited treatment options. People with PSC-IBD often struggle to find medications that work, and the condition puts them at a high risk of serious complications.
Finding that a well-known and widely available antibiotic like vancomycin can reduce inflammation and improve symptoms is a promising development.
One of the most important takeaways is that vancomycin helped 80% of patients reach remission in just four weeks. Even more impressively, all patients showed healing in their intestines, a major sign of improvement.
For more information about gut health, please see recent studies about the crucial link between diet, gut health, and the immune system and results showing that Low-gluten, high-fiber diets boost gut health and weight loss.
For more information about gut health, please see recent studies about Navigating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with diet and results showing that Mycoprotein in diet may reduce risk of bowel cancer and improve gut health.
The research findings can be found in the Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis.
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